Welcome to Wisconsin Rapids ...
The city of Wisconsin Rapids is located in Wood County<1> and is the County Seat for Wood County.
While we don't have a date for the founding of Wisconsin Rapids, you might consider that their post office opened in 1931.
A typical abbreviation for Wisconsin Rapids: Wisconsin Rpds.
From the Census Estimates for 2019, Wisconsin Rapids has a population of 17,551 people<2> (see below for details).
Wisconsin Rapids is 1,000 feet [305 m] above sea level.<3>.
Time Zone: Wisconsin Rapids lies in the Central Time Zone (CST/CDT) and observes daylight saving time
Telephone area codes for Wisconsin Rapids: (715) & (534)<4>
The ZIP codes for Wisconsin Rapids: 54494-54495<5>
Websites for Wisconsin Rapids ...
Official Website: www.wirapids.org/
Population Details ...
Taken from the 2019 Census Estimates, Wisconsin Rapids had an population of 17,551 people. This is a decrease of 4.44% since the 2010 Census (or a decrease of 4.8% since the 2000 Census).
At the time of the 2010 Census, Wisconsin Rapids had a population of 18,367 people (which is 24.57% of the total population of Wood County). This makes Wisconsin Rapids the county's 2nd most populous community.
The population of Wisconsin Rapids represents 0.32% of the population of Wisconsin (which has 5,686,986 people), making it the state's 43rd most populous community.
With a 2010 count of 18,367 people, the population of Wisconsin Rapids has remained roughly the same as the 2000 Census (with a count of 18,435 people).
More information can be found on the Census Page for Wisconsin Rapids.
Communities near Wisconsin Rapids ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Wisconsin Rapids.
- Stevens Point
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Stevens Point
- Stevens Point is located in Portage County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 25,949 people
- Plover
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the east) - Nekoosa
(6 miles [9.7 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nekoosa
- Nekoosa is located in Wood County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,391 people
- Whiting
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the northeast) - Plainfield
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Plainfield have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Plainfield
- Plainfield is located in Waushara County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 832 people
- Pittsville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pittsville have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pittsville
- Pittsville is located in Wood County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 820 people
- Auburndale
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Auburndale have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Auburndale
- Auburndale is located in Wood County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 658 people
- Vesper
(10 miles [16.1 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vesper
- Vesper is located in Wood County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 539 people
- Park Ridge
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Park Ridge have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Park Ridge
- Park Ridge is located in Portage County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 496 people
- Junction City
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the north)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Junction City have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Junction City
- Junction City is located in Portage County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 439 people
To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.
We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around Wisconsin Rapids. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Wisconsin Rapids.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Wisconsin Rapids. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around Wisconsin Rapids.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Wisconsin Rapids. See our Newspapers Page for Wisconsin Rapids.
Adding Wisconsin Rapids to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Wisconsin Rapids in both the FIPS-55 and the GNIS. For more information, see the FIPS and GNIS Codes sections on our Miscellaneous Page.
From our notes, the earliest published mention we've found for Wisconsin Rapids was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<7>
From that list, the Wisconsin Rapids post office opened in 1931.
We also found Wisconsin Rapids on a map titled Shell Oil Road Map for Wisconsin (1956).
For more details, see References and Mentions for Wisconsin Rapids.
Off-the-Road Links ...
The official website for Wisconsin Rapids: www.wirapids.org/
The official website for Wood County: www.co.wood.wi.us/
The official website for State of Wisconsin: https://www.wisconsin.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | If you're interested in how the shape of Wisconsin's counties, including Wood, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
| <2> | Population counts have been provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. For more detail, please visit our Census Page for Wisconsin Rapids. |
| <3> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Wisconsin Rapids - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <4> | Area code (534) is an overlay for area code (715). |
| <5> | ZIP Codes have been created by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as a way of grouping addresses to make delivery more efficient. The boundaries of the ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned, eliminated or overlapped with other ZIP Codes. So keep in mind that any given ZIP Code is only 'loosely' associated with a city (such as Wisconsin Rapids). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Wisconsin Rapids or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS). Our list of ZIP Codes for Wisconsin Rapids includes: 54494 & 54495. |
| <6> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <7> | A copy of their list with background information can be found at: https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/ |